It's official. Domotex 2007 enjoyed record attendance for an odd-year show. A total of 44,000 visitors came from more than 100 countries, up from 43,855 visitors in 2005. There were 1,360 exhibitors, up from 1,244 in 2005. "Domotex has once again set the beat for the new floor coverings business year," said Stephan Keuhne, member of Deutsche Messe AG's managing board. "You couldn't help but notice the positive mood swing."

[Hannover, Germany] It's official. Domotex 2007 enjoyed record attendance for an odd-year show. A total of 44,000 visitors came from more than 100 countries, up from 43,855 visitors in 2005. There were 1,360 exhibitors, up from 1,244 in 2005. "Domotex has once again set the beat for the new floor coverings business year," said Stephan Keuhne, member of Deutsche Messe AG's managing board. "You couldn't help but notice the positive mood swing."

The show is starting earlier, according to exhibitors. Many noted the presence of buyers on their stands one and two days before the show actually opened. Stefaan Debusschere, commercial director, IVC, said buyers started on Thursday.

Vinyl

Business for IVC was good in 2006 and prospects positive for the first and second quarters, he said, but there are a few clouds. "Interest rates are going up in the U.K. There is a fear that housing may slow." But IVC International has enjoyed double-digit growth. "That's amazing for vinyl," he said. The plans for '07 are to continue at the same pace. In the U.S., the company far exceeded its double-digit increases.

IVC began importing its vinyl products into the U.S. a few years ago. It will be joined this year by another European competitor: Beaulieu International Group. Beauflor is offering three qualities designed for the U.S. market: The high end is an engineered composite 5 meters (16 feet) wide that retails for around $4.40 per square foot.

Carpet

Better products are being sold in Europe, which has helped prices come up and profits improve. There is more design and better-made goods, which reflect the desire to have something different than the competition, according to Bernard ten Hoevel, CEO of Intercontuft, a Belgium-based consulting firm.

Carpet and rug producer, Balta, had double-digit growth in dollars and units in 2006, according to Geert Vanden Bossche, marketing director. While the European economy is heading for a change, the supplier expects its own numbers to grow slightly less. "It will be hard to achieve the same increases as last year, but we are ambitious," he said. "So far the first two weeks of January are up." Balta is upgrading products in wool and polypropylene as well as nylon.

Hard vs. soft

Pierre Lano, chairman of Lano Carpets, said he felt like attendance at the show was flat. "But the spirit is better, especially when you compare hard flooring growth with soft. People in America forget that we are in a much worse situation in that respect."

Lano said he believes the consumer has evolved and wants comfort and quiet. Also the false allegations (like allergies) are gone. "But we can still grow 20 percent before we get to U.S. levels." Lano agreed that qualities are improving, although his company is on the upper end. "Here there are more customers coming back to wool. Product quality is up," he said.

Laminates

Trends in laminate flooring echo those in wood with darker woods and more exotics on the horizon, exhibitors said. Matte finishes are also growing. "In laminate we see more work on finishes than the wood," said Philippe Harinck, marketing manager for Berry Floor, a Beaulieu International Group division.

Another coming trend is hyper segmentation, according to Paul de Cock, president, Unilin USA. For example, the company is launching a bathroom collection in Europe. "People want more choices to solve problems," he said. "It's a general trend - not just in flooring - but it's too early to tell if it will come to the states."

Faus president Juan Flores said the company is bringing more exotics to market. Faus is also focusing on finishes with its new UltraClarity, a cleaner surface that lets the pattern show through.

Talk at the show was dominated by the recent International Trade Council (ITC) decision regarding patent infringements (FCW, Jan. 22/29). "We are very proud of the ITC decision," de Cock said. "It shows the world that they must respect our intellectual property." Frans de Cock, chairman of Unilin, said his company and rival VÃ¤linge are close to an agreement to respect one another's mutual patents.

Darco Pervan, VÃ¤linge's CEO and general manager said, "The ITC decision says patents are important. The Chinese said we don't care. That was wrong. I think these things should be solved by negotiation. Patents require a lot of responsibility for the producers and patent holders. We are in favor of making commercial agreements."

Eyeing the U.S.

Witex's new CEO, Borge Schumann, said the company grew 35 percent last year in Europe, but admits that it hasn't found the right formula in the U.S. He is encouraged, however, that his high-end product line will suit America's tastes. "It might be that we need a strong partner," he said. The supplier will be making a decision on its American strategy soon. "I don't like long waits," he said. "No decision is worse than a bad decision."